Ares vs Hades

Recap

I love the goofy stuff that’s out there when you type in the name of any two Gods. In this case, I found this silly image someone created about Ares and Hades.

This is someone’s idea that if you COULD buy tiny action figures of Gods, this is maybe how it would work. And things like Ares’ sword and shield, and Hades’ pup Cerberus would be accessories.

I’m sold.

The Cerberus puppy is kind of funny. There’s actually a bunch of images online about what the Cerberus puppy would look like. This one, although completely wrong cause it’s the wrong breed, was still my favorite.

Okay, and now let’s get to the game. Here’s Joy-Park Thomas of Hades:

The wind was blustering down in Rancho Cienega, and so were the football coaches who claimed their permit lasted till 8:30 and weren’t leaving until they were done with their practice. They were pretty rude about it, ignoring me at first, then dismissively attempting to give me the runaround by gesturing vaguely to a field full of football players, saying, “Don’t talk to me. Talk to that guy over there.” As if that would put me off.

Given that we’d allowed them to continue to 8:15 before even approaching them, I thought we’d been pretty patient, but being blatantly dismissive is a surefire way to get me to hold my ground. Which I did, in the middle of their drill. That got them to call an end to their practice. Admittedly, the presence of co-captain Chris on his crutches, Armand, Marcus Johns, and Vamp, all making the same complaint might have had some influence on their decision as well.

So, at close to 8:30 we got started, with Ares having won the flip and calling defense, and of course, the off-hand power. Anticipating the power play, Hades had called a line who had some kind of off-hand throw. What even I hadn’t anticipated was how big Reed’s lefty backhand actually was. Though his first lefty huck didn’t quite connect, it did reset the disc far down field, and with great defense, we got the disc back for another Reed huck that ended in Fish tossing to Annie in the endzone. Off-hand power defeated!

The second point featured Cody Johns streaking to the endzone calling, “Marky!” to brother Marcus Johns for a big throw and quick score. I was afraid that was an indication of how the night would go. However, Ares was missing a number of their men, including captain Dan Perahya, Michael Cotter, David Conlon, and two of their three Bens, while Hades had a pretty good turn out. That was definitely a factor in Ares’ turnovers and Hades’ connections, ending the half 8-3: Hades.

Out of half, Hades’ Armand put a deep throw up to Derek Lay, guarded closely by Marcus Johns. It seemed a hair too far but Derek made a sweet layout bid with Marcus on his heels, snagging the disc before it skimmed the turf. Our sideline erupted in cheers.

Right about then, Ares’ Urian arrived with some fresh, speedy legs that took him on a sprint to the endzone for a score. Ares’ Johnnie Lieske was all over the field, making smart switches and throwing or catching half their points. The Johns Bros, ever tall and quick, kept the disc moving and Ares’ women reset the disc and squeezed it upline over and over.

After Ares’ second time out, Tonic threw to Taka for a point. With Hades then receiving the pull, Fish picked up the disc, shouted “Derek!” and immediately hucked it to the endzone, magically teleporting himself off the field and reincarnating as Derek Lay for the score. Power success!

Hades polished off the last two points, closing the game out 15-6.

It was a spirited game on both sides. A post-game bar celebration would have been in order, but a refill of hydrocodone called for Chris to get home before he turned into a pumpkin.

Where was Chuck Bender for the field conversation with the coaches? He wasn’t there? He plays for Hades and he booked the field. Unfortunate if he missed that game. But it sounds like you guys were able to get them to stop. That’s BS on their part. If it’s not soccer players, softball players or lacrosse players, we can now add football players to the list of annoyances. (Although, it was flag football players who caused us to completely reschedule St. Pat’s Hat one year.)

Reed has talked about this lefty huck of his in the past. I’m glad to hear actual proof of it, confirming the myth.

Hades’ win puts them currently in the top 4, and a chance for a first round bye. But two teams, Chronos and Artemis, are within striking distance of those byes, and there could end up being a 5-way tie for the final three spots! (Hestia has secured their spot.)

Chuck arrived after we’d resolved the issue. Otherwise I would have sicced him on the coaches like Cerberus and demanded to see their permit. Celine on Aphrodite, who has played on the field a bunch of times says this is a constant issue. And throughout the night, people who had been on the field earlier would walk slowly through our game. One lady misplaced her inhaler and stood with her cadre in the middle of our field refusing to walk off until she found it. Turned out, one of the soccer guys had it near the goal post. But overall, I felt a lot of resentment of our presence. Whether they would resent any other group as much, who knows? But I would personally like to avoid that field in future leagues.

We’re so fortunate to get the turf fields, I’d hate to give up on one that can fit two Ultimate fields. And that’s the field that has allowed us the most playing opportunities in both Winter League and Summer League.

We’ll just have to talk to the guy at the permit office and make sure we get the field at the time we’re permitted for.